


First Touch

by Caiti (Caitriona_3)



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Other, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, To a point
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:14:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26053267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caitriona_3/pseuds/Caiti
Summary: Who knew something good could come out of being stuck in an elevator?
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton/Darcy Lewis
Comments: 24
Kudos: 158
Collections: Bucky Barnes Bingo 2020, Clint Barton Birthday Bash, Darcy Lewis Bingo, Marvel Fluff Bingo, Winterhawk Bingo Round Two





	1. First Touch - the fic

**Author's Note:**

> First - Written for Sunny, second winner of the Charity Hawktion. Thanks for your donation!
> 
> Second - chapter 2 will be art/mood boards
> 
> Third - Inspired by bingo cards!  
> Winterhawk - N1 - Stuck in an elevator  
> Darcy Lewis - C5 - They all live in the tower  
> Bucky Barnes - U3 - PTSD  
> Fluff - B1 - Soulmate  
> Clint Barton BDay - 1/2 - Coffee

[ ](https://imgur.com/4qZmLEH)

Less than a month in Avengers Tower and Darcy Lewis had already become rather blasé about the security and well-appointed elevator. Though she truly appreciated having a small shelf to put the coffee carrier on as the elevator began its long trip to the labs. She would place a large bet on Pepper picking the speed of the elevator as it rose in a smooth, relaxed fashion, but it did give her time to flip through social media as she leaned back against the glass wall.

“Everyone’s obsessed with minutia,” she muttered. Her eyes narrowed as she spotted a nasty remark about Jane. The elevator came to a stop, but she didn’t move – it hadn’t been a long enough ride for the labs. Instead, she kept her focus on the phone as she shot off a rebuttal to the idiot who thought her best friend might not be good enough for Thor. 

A couple of people stepped on and one of them moved to lean against the glass on the other side of the shelf. 

“Touch the coffee and I’ll tase you,” she warned, not even opening her eyes.

“Rude.”

Glancing up at the snarky reply, Darcy found herself staring at two of the sexiest men in the tower. She’d met them – well, if you count a quick exchange of names as she tried to negotiate a truce between squabbling toddlers . . . _ahem_ debating scientists. Despite her absolute devotion to duty – and keeping Jane safe, well, and happy – she felt a strong temptation to leave the kids to themselves so she could get to know some of the gorgeous scenery in her new home. And, yeah, she knew that qualified as objectification, but . . . damn, who could blame her?

Then came a call to assemble and things devolved from there. 

“Not rude,” she rebutted. “It’s all about survival.” Her hand drew a circle in the air over the coffee cups. “Two of these are Jane’s and she can get violent if she doesn’t get her caffeine. The other two are mine – and they’re medically necessary.”

“Medically?” Bucky repeated, his lips quirking into a teasing smile.

“Have you ever tried to deal with Jane, Bruce, **and** Tony when they’re on a science bender?”

“No.”

“Trust me, it’s medical,” she insisted as she injected a solemn note into her tone.

“I’ve seen Bruce and Tony on a tear,” Clint added. “I might have to second that.”

“You’d second it anyway,” Bucky shot back, and she could see him holding back an eyeroll. “You’ve got an addiction.”

Clint tilted his head in thought and then shrugged. “Accurate.”

Sexy, gorgeous, funny, and sarcastic . . . could she just take them both home?

Normally she wouldn’t even let herself think about it. Darcy did not poach – ever. And she’d already picked up a lot of gossip on the two men, including information from irreproachable sources. Being a science herder meant she’d come to Pepper’s attention early . . . and Pepper Potts had a teensy-tiny little gossip side. One that only came out with people she trusted – like Darcy, Maria, and Natasha.

Seriously, Darcy loved her new life.

Anyway, being part of the women’s circle meant she’d learned about the men in the tower, including Clint and Bucky. Apparently the two men spent weeks eyeing each other with suspicion until they’d teamed up to rescue Natasha from something. Maria and Natasha both hedged on specific details, but needless to say, the men discovered they were soulmates. Not that either the teamwork or the soulbond did anything to jumpstart the relationship. Still, they did open the door . . . and things progressed from there. Basically, on finding that out, Darcy would have locked her attraction behind a heavy door if Natasha hadn’t mentioned – in passing – that both men considered themselves ‘flexible’.

A glint in her green eyes made Darcy wonder exactly what game Natasha might be playing, but she let it slide as her imagination considered all the ways a girl could translate the word ‘flexible’.

“So, coffee?” Bucky turned back to Darcy, drawing her out of her thoughts.

“Mine and Jane’s,” she nodded, adding a firm glare as his eyes shifted to the cups.

Clint’s brows rose. “Nothing for Tony or Bruce?” 

“Tony’s a coffee snob,” she scoffed. “It’s black or nothing . . . and he’s picky on the black. Bruce – he’s a tea guy and he’s got a better selection that the café, so he handles his own. 

Suddenly the elevator lurched.

Darcy rocked in place, one hand splayed against the glass as the other clutched her phone. “Well, _that’s_ probably not good,” she muttered, looking up as if she could see through the roof.

A light bell sound preceded the voice of Tony’s AI butler. “Miss Lewis, Agent Barton, Sergeant Barnes, Sir wishes to pass on his apologies for this inconvenience.” 

JARVIS even managed to sound apologetic. Sometimes Darcy wondered just how Tony managed to install that much personality into the system. Other times she just shrugged it off and went on with her ongoing music discussion with him. If she could handle aliens and heroes and agents, then she could handle an AI with a personality. Heck, half the time she preferred it.

“Due to an overload in the laboratory electronics, we’ve had to reroute some energy until the situation is contained. The elevator should continue it’s movement in twelve minutes.”

“Wonderful,” Darcy began, only to stop as she heard the sound of something odd . . . metallic.

Before she could look around for it, she found herself pushed up against the glass with Clint standing in front of her, his back pressing against her. “Deep breaths, Buck,” he ordered. Low and steady, his voice seemed pitched for soothing. Shifting just enough so she could peek around him, she realized the metallic sound came from Bucky’s arm. The man in question looked pale, his eyes dark as they scanned the small space around them. 

_Uh, oh._

Bucky’s history – or what she’d been told about it during the orientation – came back to Darcy and she figured that claustrophobia might have been expected. Everyone mentioned his trauma and the flashbacks that sometimes hit him; God knew trauma could cause more trouble than the average phobia. Clearly this had happened before; why else would Clint be shielding her?

“Somebody talk.”

The quiet order came from Bucky and she felt Clint take in a breath. “About what?”

“Anything.”

“Coffee?” she offered, the word coming out without thought. Bucky’s ocean blue eyes shifted to her, brows furrowing as he looked at her. Leaning around Clint, she pointed to the shelf, coffee still miraculously upright. “Seriously, want some coffee?”

“I do,” Clint muttered as he grabbed one. 

“Hope you like cayenne.”

He paused, the cup halfway to his mouth. Turning his head, he gave her a disbelieving look. “What?”

“That’s one of mine,” she explained. “It’s a Mexican mocha.”

“Cayenne?” he demanded.

“Yeah.” When he blinked at her, she shrugged. “Cayenne, cinnamon, hot chocolate, and espresso – what’s not to like?”

“That’s not coffee.” He stared down at the drink for a long minute and then gave his own shrug. “What the hell?” Taking a drink, he paused and wrinkled his nose. “Not what I’d pick, but . . . it’ll do.” He shook his head as he lifted the cup once again. “Cayenne in coffee.”

“Chicken.” Darcy pointed at the shelf as her gaze met Bucky’s. “The two marked with a ‘J’ are both café noirs.”

He seemed to be calming down a bit as his eyebrows rose. “Café noir?”

“It’s a thing she found in New Orleans – coffee with chicory.” 

“Chicory.”

“Adds kind of a chocolate caramel hint,” she smiled. “I prefer my chocolate darker and a little more obvious.”

One corner of his mouth quirked up and she could see the tense lines in his shoulders relax a bit more as he took one of the coffees. He sipped it. “It’s good.”

“As long as someone’s enjoying it, then money well spent.” Thinking for a moment, and taking a surreptitious glance at her phone, Darcy realized they’d need to find a way to fill another ten minutes. “So, talking?” She gave Clint a little shove in the back. “Talking I can do, but you’ve got to move.”

For a long moment he stayed in place, his attention clearly on Bucky. When the older man tilted his chin a little to the left, Clint sidestepped to lean against the side of the elevator. “What are we talking about?”

“Pick a topic,” she offered, grinning as she grabbed her own coffee. “I just seriously wanted to get to my caffeine.” Not entirely true, but when it made Bucky chuckle, she gave herself a pat on the back.

“Any topic?”

“Ask Jane next time you talk to her,” she suggested. “If need be, I can talk extensively on a number of topics, most of which have zero to no relation to the topic or situation at hand. She’s used my gift more than once to distract people while she pokes into something she’s technically not supposed to be poking into.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” Slipping down to sit on the floor, she looked up at them. When they stared down at her, she just raised her eyebrows and waited. After a couple more breaths, they exchanged a look before joining her on the floor of the elevator. “For example, did you know that in the sixteenth century, Muslim rulers actually banned coffee because of its stimulating effects?

Darcy filled a good five minutes talking about odd coffee trivia facts, from the meaning of espresso to the origins of the world’s most expensive coffee. Each moment that passed seemed to help in keeping the atmosphere calm.

“I hate enclosed spaces.”

Bucky’s announcement out of the blue brought silence to the elevator. When he shifted in place, apparently uncomfortable with the sudden revelation, Clint shifted closer to him, pressing into his side. “I still have nightmares about that damn staff of Loki’s,” he admitted.

“Robots.”

Both men looked at Darcy. 

“Robots?” Bucky repeated. “You work for Tony Stark.”

“The king of robots,” Clint added.

“I do,” she agreed. “But if you watch, you’ll see I _never_ go into the suit areas.” They waited and she sighed. “Look, most of Tony’s robots are cool. JARVIS, DUM-E, U, Butterfingers – they’re all awesome. I love dealing with them, but the whole humanoid thing? Nope. Don’t like it.”

“New Mexico?”

At Clint’s question, she toasted him with her cup. “And the fire-breathing robot from outer space.”

“Excuse me.” They all looked up towards the ceiling as JARVIS spoke – and then chuckled as they realized what they’d done. “The situation has been resolved and the elevator will begin moving again. Please confirm your floor choices.”

“Residential area, J,” Darcy decided. “The kids have done without coffee this long - **and** they caused the holdup, so I’m going to take a day.”

“There’s an idea,” Bucky agreed as he rose to his feet. He held out his right hand to her. “Want company?”

“So you can hear trivia on another scintillating topic?” she laughed. “Or maybe watch a ridiculous movie or two? I should warn you, I run to cute, comedic, or science fiction – because I clearly don’t have enough of that in my life already. But, sure, why not?” Reaching up, she took his hand, ready to let him pull her to her feet.

An electric shock ran up her arm.

“Ouch!”

Her exclamation drowned out his own curse, but when she would have let go, he held fast. Instead, he lifted her to her feet and reached for her sleeve with his free hand. The metal one, she noticed in a belated kind of way. She let that thought go, however, to focus on his actions – i.e. pushing up her sleeve. And then trying not to gape at the symbol glinting on her skin. “What the hell?” _Stupid question, Darcy . . . kinda. It’s a soulmark . . . more or less._ The soulmark glimmered like mother-of-pearl on her inner arm, beautiful but . . . unfinished. Most marks created a recognizable picture, but hers didn’t look like anything she could name. 

And maybe she should focus on the man who put it there?

Darcy looked up to find Bucky staring at the mark, a surprised sort of smile playing on his lips. “Gotta admit, I didn’t see that coming.”

“Me either.” 

Clint moved forward, pushing up his own sleeve so Darcy could see the matching mark on his arm. He held his hand over her forearm and lifted an eyebrow at her. When she nodded and braced herself for the shock, he curled his fingers around her wrist, just above Bucky’s hold. She and Clint flinched in tandem, but she watched as their marks filled in, changing until they formed a complete picture . . . almost an infinity symbol, but with an arrow. “It’s a Malin symbol,” she murmured.

“You have to face setbacks in order to go forwards.” Clint brushed the fingers of his free hand over it.

Bucky pushed up his sleeve as well, showing his own mark. For a moment, everyone stood there, connected as they acknowledged the change. She didn’t know about the men, but she felt something settle in her as her gaze flit from one mark to the next. Staying with Jane . . . everyone back home tried to tell her she made a mistake. And yet, here she had firm proof that she had picked just right.

_Damn, I make good life choices!_

The elevator doors opened behind him and Darcy gave them both a bright grin. “How about a movie and more coffee?” she suggested. “I’ll even let you guys pick.” She paused and then smirked. “But I reserve veto power.”

“How extensive is your collection?” Clint asked, letting her go to lead them out of the elevator.

“Who needs a collection?” she laughed, following him out with Bucky right behind her. “I have a JARVIS.”


	2. First Touch - the art

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And the mood boards for this fic.

[](https://imgur.com/DF2cJay)

[ ](https://imgur.com/Lf1BrhL)

“It is inhumane, in my opinion, to force people who have a genuine medical need for coffee to wait in line behind people who apparently view it as some kind of recreational activity.”  
~Dave Barry

**Author's Note:**

> if you're interested, here's the inspiration for the soulmark
> 
> [](https://imgur.com/ZHyBD46)


End file.
